NCA vs UCA

In the cheerleading world there are two popular types of cheerleading associations. They are NCA, the National Cheerleader’s Association, and UCA, the Universal Cheerleader’s Association.

NCA was the first cheerleading association, founded in 1948 by Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer. (Herkie is in quotations because this is a popular jump in cheerleading). The NCA continues to lead the way with new Camp curriculum, industry-leading Championships and Special Events that reward the hard-working, well-rounded cheerleaders in America today. NCA’s goal is:

Our commitment to the development of excellence is recognized as we teach leadership development, strong support of school athletic teams, pursuit of skills excellence and safety, and the always important teamwork. These core principles are the fundamentals necessary for each young athlete to act with integrity, inspire excellence in others, and become the leaders of tomorrow.

*Visit http://www.nationalspirit.com/ for more information.

UCA was founded in 1974 by Jeff Webb. In the associations first year they held 24 camps in the Midwest and the South during the summer of 1975. UCA is also the founding member of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators. (This is the organization I was able to do a Q & A with recently). UCA’s goal is:

UCA wants to inspire leadership on and off the field. All of UCA’s material and programs are centrally focused on the traditional role of cheerleading. UCA believes that the primary purpose of a cheerleader is to support athletic programs and lead the crowd before and during games. Cheerleaders play an instrumental role in raising, leading and maintaining school spirit in and around their communities. In short, they are leaders in building general morale at their school!

*Visit http://uca.varsity.com/default.aspx for more information.

Both the NCA and UCA associations give cheerleaders around the world the chance to work hard, learn more, and participate in many camps and competitions.